August, 2022 - BourbonSphere

“KING OF KENTUCKY” 2022 Upcoming Release: TWO Unique BARREL STRENGTH Offerings

Brown-Forman’s upcoming “King of Kentucky” super-premium limited edition annual release is swinging its royal saber with the utmost authority. There will not be one, but TWO limited offerings for the 2022 release, a 15 year and 18 year bourbon, each at barrel strength 130 proof. The 15 year will be available be mostly in KY […]

The post “KING OF KENTUCKY” 2022 Upcoming Release: TWO Unique BARREL STRENGTH Offerings first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Per Master Distiller Chris Morris, the expressions are from two production days, two years apart. This is pretty cool and exciting, demonstrating the impact a few years can make on flavor differentiation.

Below is the press release directly from Brown-Forman with more details.

Official Press Release from Brown-Forman

LOUISVILLE, KY, August 15, 2022 – King of Kentucky, a super-premium straight bourbon, is returning this year with the release of its fifth edition. Hitting shelves in August, two limited-edition expressions will be available to mark the 5th anniversary for the brand.

The first 2022 expression is a 15-year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, featuring a premium embossed label with a stamp border and details. Approximately 3,500 bottles will be produced with a suggested retail of $249.99. While the majority of this year’s volume will remain in Kentucky, the expression will also be available in limited quantities in Illinois and Ohio.

The second expression is a very limited 18-year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, featuring an embossed label with a gold-foiled stamp border and gold details. Approximately 250 bottles will be produced with a suggested retail of $349.99. The 18-year-old expression will be exclusive to the Kentucky market.

King of Kentucky was established in 1881 as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Brown-Forman acquired the brand in 1936 from Selected Kentucky Distillers and, by 1940, converted it to a blended whiskey until it was discontinued in 1968. In 2018, Brown-Forman revived the label paying homage to the brand’s past. “We are excited to celebrate the fifth year of the King of Kentucky brand with the return of two special expressions, ” said Master Distiller Chris Morris.. “This brand demonstrates Brown-Forman’s commitment to and expertise in the growing American Whiskey category.”

King of Kentucky is an annual release of a single barrel inventory featuring a barrel-strength, minimally-filtered proof presentation, with each release and every barrel bein unique. For this year’s iteration, Master Distiller Chris Morris chose two lots of barrels to set aside for the limited-release product; one from 2004, the second from 2006.

“This year’s releases come from two production days, two years apart,” said Morris. “This showcases what a difference two years at these extreme ages make on the color, flavor, and aroma of this wonderful whiskey.”

Due to the rarity of these barrels, there is no defined annual volume. Just like the extra time it takes for the liquid to mature, King of Kentucky’s package shows a personal craftsmanship. Every bottle comes enclosed in a decorative tin canister, and tells the story of its origin through the details on the front and back of its package. All are filled, bottled, wax-dipped, and numbered by hand with details including proof, age, warehouse location, lot number, serial number, and barrel number, all selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris.

Tasting Notes (Brand Provided)

Bottle One Taste Notes: “Representative Barrel”
Proof: 130.6
Age: 15 years
Aroma: Notes of dark sorghum, resinous oak and honey top a medley of dried fruit and rich
cigar tobacco.
Flavor: Robust oak spices, dried fruit and sorghum.

Bottle Two Taste Notes: “Representative Barrel”
Proof: 130.3
Age: 18 years
Aroma: Rich molasses, dark caramel and aged honeycomb are brightened with hints of tea
leaf and ripe tree fruit.
Flavor: Baked spiced tree fruit, molasses and sharp dark tea.

2021 “King of Kentucky” Details

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Johnnie Walker Giveaway Via Dusk App Supplies Johnnie Walker Lemonades

Johnnie Walker has collaborated with nightlife discovery app Dusk for a free giveaway promotion of Johnnie’s & Lemonades at select UK venues – the year-long collaboration will hand out 270,000 Johnnie & Lemonades given away at participating UK venues. The Dusk app offers its users the chance to claim one free drink a day, as […]

The Dusk app offers its users the chance to claim one free drink a day, as well as providing exclusive offers throughout the year.

How to Pair Whisky and Cheese

Pairing cheese and whisky can be simple if you know what combinations work best. Use this guide to get started.

The post How to Pair Whisky and Cheese appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

The U.S. produces more cheese annually than France, Italy, and Switzerland combined. That statistic is according to Afrim Pristine, maître fromager, or cheese master, and owner of Cheese Boutique in Toronto, where he oversees the sale of some 44 tons of cheese each year. Of course, that’s not the same as having the greatest variety of cheeses, a title that goes to France. But still, the prodigious output of the U.S. is impressive.

Further, Pristine says that from “about 1995 to 2002,” North Americans finally started to explore the full scope of that cheese. “I saw it firsthand,” he recalls, “People stopped buying the same cheese every time and became much more interested in trying different varieties.”

While trying new cheeses is never a bad thing, Pristine notes that it can lead to disappointment. “I tell my customers to buy smaller pieces and shop more often,” he says, “Cheese doesn’t go bad, but when people overbuy and it sits around too long, it just won’t taste the way it should.”

For storing the cheese you do buy, Pristine suggests avoiding plastic wrap, which can dry out the cheese, and resealable zipper-closure bags, which cause the cheese to sweat. Instead, he recommends wrapping the cheese first in parchment or waxed paper and then in aluminum foil, since the parchment will allow the cheese to breathe while the foil will protect it from absorbing other odors in the fridge and also keep your vegetables from smelling like cheese.

When serving, Pristine says that the longer you can leave it outside of the fridge, “two, three, or even eight hours,” the better it will taste. Which is precisely how I approached my tasting of what Pristine identifies as the six basic groupings of cheese: goat/sheep, semi-firm, washed rind, bloomy rind, hard/aged, and blue.

Cheeses made from goat’s or sheep’s milk tend to be more delicate in flavor than those made from cow’s milk, so weighty whiskeys like bourbons and straight ryes should generally be avoided. With goat’s milk cheese in particular, the relative lightness and almost paradoxical depth of an Irish whiskey containing a high proportion of pot still spirit makes great gastronomic sense.

For a youthful gouda, my semi-firm cheese, I sought a complementary relationship in a fruity, sherry wood-aged single malt, and found it in Macallan 12 year old Double Cask. The sherry accents play perfectly against the nutty flavors of the cheese, while the richness of the gouda draws out complex fruit and vanilla notes in the whisky.

(As an aside, balanced Scottish single malts, not too peaty or rich, seem to pair best with a wide variety of cheeses, as you might find on a typical cheese board.)

Washed-rind cheeses, like the French chaumes I sampled, tend to have big aromas—some call them “stinky”—but rather mild flavors, which require spirits of subtle complexity and soft bouquet, the toffee-ish Crown Royal XO fitting this bill quite deliciously. For cheeses with bloomy rinds, such as Bries and Camemberts, which often feature saltiness and acidity from the rind, a bolder and sweeter partner makes the most sense, like Woodford Reserve Double Oaked matched with the classic Brie de Meaux.

Finally, I returned to Scotland to find pairings for both my hard/aged and blue cheeses, hardly surprising since classics of both camps, cheddar and Stilton, were born not far from where the whiskies evolved. In general, I find that Speyside malts favor mature, firm cheeses and peatier Island whiskies complement blues, although full and round bourbons also benefit the latter.

Pair These Whiskies and Cheeses at Home Now

Chabichou du Poitou with Redbreast 12 year old
The dryness of this weeks-old chèvre draws forward the whiskey’s sweetness, while the spirit accentuates the fruitiness of the cheese.

3 year old Cheddar with Glenlivet 12 year old
The creaminess of the cheddar is underscored by the whisky, while the cheese heightens the nutty, fruity flavors of the malt.

Colston Bassett Stilton with Talisker 10 year old
England’s legendary blue cheese meets a Scottish partner in strength and assertiveness, to the flavorful benefit of both parties.

The post How to Pair Whisky and Cheese appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

Lambay Whiskey Tweet Tasting

Continuing our teeming throng of industry leading, sensory story led Tweet Tastings, we’re absolutely delighted to announce that on September 14th, we’re teaming up again with those fine folks at Lambay Whiskey, for another evening of Irish whiskey fuelled dramfotainment!We’ll be dedicating the entire tasting to the first release in Lambay’s recently launched, limited-edition Reserve Cask Series

Brand Development In The 19th Century

The distillers in the 19th century treated their promotion of their brands in a different way than the distillers of today. They did not have television, radio and social media to promote their brands. In fact, for most of the… Continue Reading →

Truffle Hunting for Whisky History (Episode 965: August 14, 2022)

Andrew Welford is described as a “truffle hunter” for whisky history, but his best find to date didn’t sell for a penny. In fact, he donated an original John Walker & Sons shares ledger from 1944 that he found on eBay to Diageo’s corporate archive in Scotland. We’ll talk with him and Isabel Graham-Youll of Whisky.Auction, who helped bring together the book with its new home. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit auction to help the state’s flooding victims is underway with bidding already exceeding $250,000. We’ll have that story and much more, including a Major League Baseball team Read More »

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Beards Town Bourbon

Yes, you’re reading that right and it is not a typo – Beards Town Bourbon (not Bardstown). This brightly labeled bottle caught my eye on…

Yes, you're reading that right and it is not a typo - Beards Town Bourbon (not Bardstown). This brightly labeled bottle caught my eye on the shelf at a large, regional liquor store in Kentucky. Chalking it up to "one for the blog", I dropped a Jackson - and got change back.

The Center of Bourbon

Bardstown is considered by many to be the center of bourbon. Today, numerous distilleries dot the roads into and out of Bardstown, including ,Heaven Hill, ,Willett, ,Bardstown Distilling, and Lux. A short drive outside of town will take you to ,Jim Beam, ,Four Roses, and more.

Beards Town Bourbon draws its name and pays homage to the bourbon capital of Bardstown, Kentucky which was also known as Beards Town in its earliest days. The area was settled in 1780, making it the second oldest community in the Commonwealth. David Bard secured the land grant and his brother, William Bard, surveyed and laid out the town that would rise up.

The Tasting

Beards Town Bourbon Whiskey is packaged in a tall, shouldered bottle with a steel blue label. It is bottled at 90 proof without an age statement. Further, it is labeled as straight bourbon, indicating it must be aged at least 2 years, and if aged less than 4 years, it must display the age. Since this bottle doesn't contain an age statement, it's safe to assume it is aged at least 4 years. This is also labeled as Kentucky straight whiskey, so we can be assured that the product was distilled in Kentucky.

The label shares that the bourbon has been bottled by Brookstone Distilling Company of Louisville, Kentucky. Hmmm ... the plot thickens. This isn't a name I've heard before.

A little Google-searching led me to the Brookstone Distilling Company as a tradename with a New Hampshire address. Continuing the search led me to the owner of Brookstone Distilling - Sazerac of New Hampshire LLC. Eurkea!

While not fully disclosed, this would appear to be an off-brand produced by Sazerac - the spirit producer that brings us the Barton and Buffalo Trace brands. There's very little other information about this product. I paid about $17 for the 750ml bottle.

Eye: Amber. There are a scattering of medium legs when swirled in my Glencairn glass.

Nose: Honey, toasted oak, cinnamon and a little vanilla. Nothing that is super inviting or forward. Nearly all the notes are light and uncomplicated, but there was also nothing offensive, either. So far, ok.

Palate: Vanilla and spice front and center. The mouthfeel is thin and other than those two notes, that's really all there is.

Finish: Medium and dry with oak and spice.

Overall: Priced as a sub-$20 bourbon, this was certainly fine, though nothing to really write home about. Overall, I'd say this met, but didn't exceed my expectations. If you're looking for something to serve up to your friends at your next party, this wouldn't be a bad one to offer up. The higher 90-proof will make this hold up better with ice or in a cocktail than many 80-proof bourbons in this category.

Woodford Reserve Five-Malt Stouted Whiskey

Five-Malt Stouted Whiskey is the 17th in the Master’s Collection from Woodford Reserve. This annual release supposedly has stout beer…

Five-Malt Stouted Whiskey is the 17th in the Master's Collection from Woodford Reserve. This annual release supposedly has stout beer notes. You had me with a Master's Collection, but stout beer? Now, I'm really interested.

A Tribute to the Irish

For nearly two decades, Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris, assisted with Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall, have released a special “Master’s Collection” each Fall. In the past, I've enjoyed their ,Cherrywood Smoked Barley and ,Select American Oak.

The 2021 expression tips their hat to the history of Irish immigrants in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The ,Woodford Reserve Distillery traces its roots back to the early 1800s. The main distillery building at the site was built by Irish stonemasons in 1838. The grain, fermented in large cypress vats, is traditionally referred to as "distiller's beer". After triple distillation in large copper pot stills, the beer is converted to white dog which is then aged in new charred oak barrels.

Each year, the Master's Collection allows Miller and McCall to "push the envelope" and expand the traditional flavor profiles with unique mash bills, finishing, or barreling techniques. I appreciate the creativity and uniqueness offered by each of these releases to see what new treats for the senses can be delivered.

While the exact mash bill is not identified for this malt whiskey, it's probably safe to assume that the ,Woodford Malt Whiskey's mash bill of 51% malted barley, 47% corn, and 2% rye served as a starting point. Note that this deviates heavily from the traditional bourbon mash bill for Woodford Reserve of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley.

The Tasting

This special release is bottled at 90.4 proof in a square bottle with a graceful, long neck. Suggested retail price is $129.

Eye: A beautiful dark reddish-hued copper. There are thick tears that drip down the inside of the Glencairn glass.

Nose: Loads of delicious toasted malt grains that remind me of the great outdoors and campfires. There are also notes of milk chocolate, toasted nuts, caramel, and even a hint of spearmint.

Palate: Suffice it to say, Distillers Morris and McCall nailed this one! Yes, this is whiskey that drinks like a good, creamy, Irish stout beer. Luscious and rich on the palate, there is dark cocoa, caramel, and English tea biscuit flavors, along with toasted oak and baking spices.

Finish: Medium-long in length with charred oat, baking spices, and earthy, grassy notes along with a graham cracker s’more. The stout beer notes appear here on the finish. It's not hot, just smooth and velvety.

Overall: I'm a fan of the ,Woodford Straight Malt Whiskey. Both have flavors of graham cracker and s'more-like notes, with this Master's Collection really amping up those malty notes that do remind me of a finely crafted stout beer. The malty notes are nicely balanced with corn sweetness, as well.

As we approach the Fall season, and vests and flannels once again emerge, this is the perfect whiskey to enjoy when there's a nip in the air as the days begin to shorten. While priced beyond what I normally like to spend for a whiskey, this is one to consider adding to your collection (if you can find it) and is worth the spend.

Black Velvet Now Available In Peach

The world was not exactly clamoring for it but Heaven Hill has released a peach-flavored version of Black Velvet Canadian whisky. Black Velvet Peach, bottled at 35% alcohol by volume [70 proof] now joins Black Velvet’s other whisky flavors which include Black Velvet Apple and Black Velvet Toasted Caramel. Black Velvet Peach is being made […]

The world was not exactly clamoring for it but Heaven Hill has released a peach-flavored version of Black Velvet Canadian whisky.

Black Velvet Peach, bottled at 35% alcohol by volume [70 proof] now joins Black Velvet’s other whisky flavors which include Black Velvet Apple and Black Velvet Toasted Caramel.

Black Velvet Peach is being made available for $11 per 750ml bottle.

31-Year-Old Rosebank Unveiled

Ian Macleod Distillers has released a 31-year-old single malt from long-dormant Lowlands distillery Rosebank [the casks were salvaged from the Rosebank distillery in Falkirk, Scotland, before it closed in 1993]. Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the Rosebank site in October 2017, with plans to re-open the distillery in early 2023. The Rosebank 31 Years Old single […]

The Rosebank 31 Years Old single malt was bottled at 48.1% alcohol by volume [96.2 proof] and is said to contain notes of banana bread, berry, camomile, coriander, lemongrass, lime, mint and peach.

Rosebank 31 Years Old single malt is being made available for $2,175 per 700ml bottle.